Stiffening for garments



NOV. 28, 1950 M, DUREY 'E1-AL 2,531,843

STIFFENING FOR GARMENTS Filed Dec. 6, 1948 Patented Nov. 28, y1950 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STIFFENING FOR GARMENTS VClarence M. 4Durey, University Heights, and Fred A. Maynard, Cleveland, .()hio Application December 6, 1948, Serial No. 63,686

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates in a general way to the art of wearing apparel and, more specifically, is for an improved form of stiifening for use in connection with garments.

Heretofore, such stiiening usually has been in the form of thinly sliced quills of feathers intended as an improvement upon stiffenings made of bone, wire or steel strips. The use of quills for this purpose has several objectionable characteristics. For instance, a quill is an unstable organic substance that will become brittle with age and is subject to physical alteration due to changes in humidity; and also it has been Vfound that many people are allergic to quills. Furthermore, the process of preparing the quill form of stay or stiffening, is comparativelyY complicated, slow and expensive.

Accordingly, the object of our present invention is to devise a stiffening or foundation support that possesses all of the desirable characteristics of the previo-us forms and that is free of the objectionable features thereof.

More specically, our object is to devise an improved form of stiffening of inorganic material that will not deteriorate over a long period of time and that is of an inert nature so as not to affect the user in an objectionable manner.

Another object is to devise an inorganic form of stiiening that is flexible, water-proof, nonwarping, non-shrinkable, has no cold-flow characteristics, that is to say, will resume its original form afterbeing flexed, and will hold its shape indefinitely.

Another object is to devise such an improved form of stiilening that can be attached to a garment by sewing o-r by other means, that may be employed wherever desired, and that possesses a finished appearance without requiring other covering for this purpose.

A further object is to devise such an improved form of stiffening that can be made in a comparatively simple and less costly manner, having in mind the prior devices.

Other objects will appear from the following description and claims when considered together with the accompanying drawing.

The single figure of the drawing illustrates one particular form in which our present invention may be made.

It is to be understood that the present form of disclosure is merely for the purpose of illustration and that there might be devised various modications thereof without departing from the spirit of :our invention as herein set forth and claimed.

`mately eighty (80) per cent of the glass :libres and approximately twenty (20) per cent of the adhere to the entire outer surface of Athe plastic will leave the glass bres coated with the resin.

At this stage, the resin, which is thermo-setting, is ,sufficiently soft and pliable to permit the coated glass :libres to be pressed into any desired shape by application of heat and pressure. A covering of glass cloth is in the same manner caused to body.

Our product may have a hat side I and a curved side 2, the two sides merging at the surface of the garment to which this stiiening is applied. With this particular form, there may be avoided the abrupt corners that are incident to the conventional form in which the two opposite surfaces are parallel with each other. In any event, our device will be made of suitable thickness to afford the desired strength and that will at the same time permit it to be sewed through for attaching the same to a garment in a ready manner and without undue wear upon the needle. All sizes of this stiiening may have its top surface sufficiently flat to accommodate the foot of the sewing machine and the larger sizes may have a longitudinal groove 3 to facilitate guiding of the needle therealong. Or, if so desired, our device may be provided with a heatresponsive adhesive which would permit the same to be attached by means of heat and pressure and without sewing.

In forming this product in the manner above described, the resin will coat the individual glass bres and will penetrate and fill the interstices between the strands of the glass cloth. By thus adhering to the individual laments and strands of glass, there is provided a means of protection for the same against fracture which might otherwise be caused by abrasion Within the same during actual use. Thus there is preserved the flexibility of the individual bres of the glass while at the same time there is produced the required strength.

Our nished product possesses comparatively high tensile strength, it will return of itself to its original form upon being flexed, and is thus well adapted for the use for which intended, it possesses sufficient toughness for its intended pur- 3 pose, it is non-warping, water-proof, it will maintain its shape and is not subject to change in form because of humidity or lack of humidity, and will not deteriorate over a long period of time. It is primarily of an inorganic nature and is inert so as to be non-toxic and not objectionable to those who are allergic to other materials, it is vermin-proof andis not aifected by the solvents commonly used in the dry-cleaning industry. It can be attached to a garment by sewing or by meansof an adhesive, it presents a pleasing appearance Without requiring other covering and, by virtue of its Water-proof characteristic, it can be used as foundation support for a bathing suit and, in combination with a brassire of glass cloth, affords the same degree of protection and support Whether Wet or dry.

Other resultant advantages of our` present invention will readily suggest themselves to those Who are familiar with the art to which it relates.

What We claim is:

1. A flexible stiffening for garments, comprising a body of glass fibres and a exible bonding agent covering the outer surface thereof and the individual glass bres so as to prevent abrasion between the same, anda flexible fabric covering adhering to the outer surface of said body of glass fibres and having the ntersti'ces between its strands lled with said bonding agent.

2. A iiexible stiffening for garments, comprising a body of glass bres and a flexible bonding resin covering the outer surface thereof and the individual glass fibres so as to prevent abrasion between the same, and a flexible glass cloth covering and adhering to the outer surface of said body of glass fibres and having the interstices between its strands filled with said bonding resin.

3. A exible stiifening for garments, comprising a. body of glass bres and a flexible bonding resin covering the outer surface thereof and the individual glass bres so as to prevent abrasion between the same, and a iiexible glass cloth covering and adhering to the entire outer surface of said body of glass bres and having the interstices between its strands filled with said bonding resin, said stiiening being flat upon one side thereof and curved eonvexly upon the other side thereof, and said curved side having a groove extending along the middle thereof to facilitate sewing through the same.

4. A exible stiffening for garments, comprising a body of glass fibres and a exible bonding agent covering the individual glass fibres so as to prevent abrasion between the same and covering the outer surface of said. body of glass fibres.

CLARENCE M. DUREY. FRED A. MAYNARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references yare of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES The Architectural Forum, Nov. 1942, page 116, column 3, Insulation 

